Walking With a Ghost
by JacksStar
Summary: Everywhere he goes he sees her, but when he's not the only one who does what will happen?
1. Ghostly past

Jack was leaning on a tall wooden pillar supporting the Santa Monica pier. He watched the clear waves splash and against the sun warmed sandy beach, as he breathed in the salty sea air. It was calming at times, but at others something would remind him, and it would be all too much. On certain days or even in a certain light every shad of blue reminded him of her eyes, every shade of red, the color of her hair, and every flower just seemed like a rose to him. Each night he tossed and turned and dreamed of her and how he had been too slow to save her, too weak. That bitterly cold April night had taken his world from him. He had splashed around for what felt like hours, swimming this way and that taking in every face he could, but over and over again realizing it wasn't her. Finally when his limbs had felt like lead, and his body was becoming dead weight he was fortunate enough to hear voices calling out to him, Tommy and Fabrizio had managed to cling to an over turned lifeboat and helped him hold on until morning came. The Carpathia had come and taken them away from cruel water, but it could not take away the pain. He had hoped beyond hope that he would find her name on the survivors list, but his hopes were dashed. The rest of the trip back to America had been a blur, an emotionless pit that didn't matter.

Now he was in the warm safe environment he'd come to love in years past. He could do what he loved for money, he had good friends to share an apartment with, but nothing seemed to matter. As the sun began to set he couldn't take it anymore. He pushed of the pillar and headed for the boardwalk, but he caught a look of something out of the corner of his eye. He slowly turned. It was like a memory from a dream. A beautiful woman with flame red hair stood looking out at the ocean. Her dress was white and green, and her face looked like porcelain crafted for the most beautiful doll imaginable. Jack's breath caught in his throat, and he couldn't move. Slowly she lifted her arms off the pier's railing and began to disappear into the crowd. His feet seemed to catch fire and Jack ran as fast as he could, jumping over the railing to where she was. Crowds of people coming to enjoy the amusements at night got in his way. He struggled to keep his eyes on her, but as an especially large woman, holding tightly to a plump young boys hand shoved past he lost sight of her. He craned his neck, trying to make out where she had gone, but the hustle and bustle around him was too much, and she was gone from him once again.

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Well that's chapter one, I'll get the next few up as soon as I can! Hope you liked it, so please comment! 


	2. Silent Hopes

He sat at the small beat up kitchen table with his head in his hands. A cup of now cold coffee sat next to his sketch book a collection of scattered crumple pieces of paper. The image he had seen earlier haunted him. He occupied his mind almost all the time, but this, actually seeing her.. or at least what he thought was her. She was so real, so perfectly beautiful, as if she were really real. She had to be -... Just then two noisy men came in the door in the midst of a loud conversation.  
"I'm tellin' ya they're lible to catch fire, just you wait!"

"Noooo, the piers they no-a catch fire, they surrouned by water!" The two men created a ruckus, putting on another pot of coffee, slamming the cupboards, stirring up the fire, and arguing about how likely it was that the Santa Monica pier catch on fire.

"It don't matter where it is, that must wood with that much electricity in this much heat'll catch fire like that." Tommy said snapping his fingers

"No, no, no" Fabrizio argued "Okay.. maybe a little, but -"

"Would you two keep it down?" Jack snapped. Both men stopped dead in their debate and looked at the man.

"Sorry Jack," Fabrizio offered "You-a alright?" he asked, wary not to get snapped at again. Both he and Tommy knew that Jack was having a hard time nursing his broken heart. Jack's appetite depleated, he hardly smiled or joked like he used to, and he awoked every night somtimes just in a cold sweat, but other nights calling out for Rose.

"Yeah, I'm fine.. just .. fine" the blonde sighed putting his head in his hands.

"You sure Jack you look-"

"I'm fine!" Jack snapped again.

"Hey now, don't yell at us for it!" Tommy said slightly aggitated. The American shot him an angry look, but then slowly swallowed and began to rub his forehead

"I saw her.." he said after a few moments, his voice only just above a whisper. His friends exchanged confused glances.

"Saw who?" Tommy said taking the seat across the table from him.

"Rose" Jack rasped. The Irishman swolled as his eyebrows shot into his hair.

"What'do you mean?" Fabrizio asked leaning on the old counter, brow furrowed. Jack was quiet for a moment and then put his hands palms down on the table gently.

"I was under the peer looking at the sea, and when I went to leave.. I saw her" A small smiled crossed his lips. "She was so beautiful." Tommy threw a worried look at Fabrizio, and then took a deep breath.

"Jack.. are... are ya sure it was her? I mean... are ya sure it wasn't a .. ghost?" he offered softly.

"It was her, she was on the pier, looking out to see, in a green dress.. and-" Jack began gesturing with his hand trying to explain.

"Jack," Fabrizio cut in with half frightened half confused look on his face, he glanced briefly to Tommy for support "when we first saw her.. she was.. uhh.." He looked to Tommy again for support.

"Look Jack, what he's tryin' to say is that, that's the way ya first saw her. Now I'm not sayin' I don't believe ya boyo because I do, but.. ya gotta ask yourself.. was it really her?"

"Yes it was, look" he tried pleading with his friends, "I saw her on the pier and I went after her, the only reason I didn't catch up with her is that she.. well she disapeared into the crowd, that's all. Had I been faster I would've caught up, I woulda.."

"Jack..." Tommy cut in again "I'm not tryin' to tell ya ya didn't see somethin', but.. look there was this man back in my hometown an' one night his wife died in a fire, an' after that he used to barge into the pub evernight sayin' he saw her walkin' down the street." Jack rolled his eyes and huffed out a highly frusterated sigh "Now, boyo, look, I don't doubt ya saw her, but.. was it really her? or was it your mind playin' tricks on ya that ol' man"

Jack stared at the table for a moment in deep thought. He slowly raised his head to look Tommy square in the eye."It was her, she was really there... and she's still alive. I don't care if either of you think I'm crazy, heck I don't care if the whole world thinks I'm crazy. I saw her, and I'm going to find her as soon as it's light out!" He stood and walked into the cramped bedroom, slamming the door behind him. The two immigrants stood in silence for a few minutes, neither of them talking and their of them moving. After what seemed like a year of silent thought Fabrizio retired to the small crammped bedroom, patting Tommy on the shoulder as he went by. Not saying a word, but both of them sharing the same thoughts, and hoping beyond hope that their friend would be alright.


	3. Thoughts on the Matter

The following day everything seemed back to normal. The three companions awoke and started their day without a hitch. Tommy privately hoped that Jack had forgotten his ghostly encounter from the day before, but amid the hurried eating of toast and eggs, and the small talk that was shared, Tommy could see how deeply in thought Jack was. After their daily morning routine, they set off for another day of work. The Irishman watched Jack as they parted ways. The blond always seemed to let the wind take him, and after all drawing portraits with the same background day after day would seem suffocating. Today seemed different, Jack seemed intent on a certain destination.

After a long day of thought and an even longer day of work Tommy was home again, and for once all alone. Usually Fabrizio came home first, and had a fire going in the cast iron stove with dinner cooking, but tonight sound of wind off the ocean rattling the windows greeted him. He sighed and decided to set a fire to ward of the dark unforgiving emptiness that engulfed the small two room apartment. He fumbled with the matches as he reached into the dark old stove. He'd never been very good with starting fires. If he could get his cigarette to light, he considered it a good day. Finally when a small orange flame shot up out of the darkness the kitchen door flew open, blowing out the fire and Tommy's triumph. He looked up to see Fabrizio slowly walk from the door to a kitchen chair, his face pale, his eyes wide and his hands trembling slightly.

"Good God boyo, you alright?" he asked in a thick Irish accent. "You look like you saw a ghost!" Fabrizio sunk into the chair slowly he was quiet, which proved highly unusual for the cheerful Italian.

"Rose..." he finally said after a long moment of silence as Tommy attempted to get his fire going once more. "I saw her." Tommy dropped his matchbook. He turned quickly to face his friend.

"Now look here, it's bad enough Jack's seein' ghosts, but not you too!" he said pointing his finger threateningly at Fabrizio.

"No really! I saw her on the board-a walk! I swear!" Tommy regarded the other man for a moment.

"Look, what most likely happened was that Jack's talk last night of ghosts and seein' Rose got your eyes to play tricks on you, and you only thi-"

"No no no no!" Fabrizio said rising "I saw her! She was looking at oceano, with a - a sad look on her face." he said waving his hand wildly. Tommy sighed and stood thinking for a few moments.

"So you're tellin' me you saw her too?" Fabrizio nodded, "Jesus Christ, either you're both goin' mad or .. she's really out there." He sank into Fabrizio's chair now seriously regarding the situation.

"She can't be though, if she were alive she woulda come lookin' for Jack already." Tommy reasoned.

"She might think Jack died." The Italian proposed taking a seat next to Tommy.

"But why?" The other man asked standing and beginning to pace the room. "It's not like his name wasn't on the survivors list"

"Maybe she's back with that bastardo" Fabrizio suggested disgusted at the possibility.

"A bit unlikely, I doubt he'd let her walk about on her own, least of all in this town."

"Maybe..." Fabrizio tried again after another moment.

"Maybe she doesn't know where to find him!" Tommy half yelled excitedly. A wide smile broke out across his friend's face.

"Si! Maybe she's looking for Jack!" he said mirroring his friend's excitement.

"Well, then we'll just have to find 'em both then, help reunite our poor star-crossed lovers!" Tommy said happily. Fabrizio shot Tommy a confused look, who shrugged, "Dunno, just somethin' I heard somewhere." But just as Tommy made to pick up his coat from the counter someone knocked at their door.

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So it's kinda short, but the next chapter will hopefully be longer, and along very soon. Thanks again for reading! 


	4. Ladies First

Tommy shot to the door, elated at the possibilities. As the door swung open his expression changed from glee to confusion. No Jack, no Rose, but instead a plump first class lady in a crisp lady's suit.

"Well hello." She said after a beat. "I'm lookin' for Jack." Tommy whirled around to look to Fabrizio who only shrugged in reply.  
"Sorry ma'am, but uh, Jack ain't in." Tommy replied politely.

"Ain't in? He's not out lookin' for Rose is he?" she asked all sense of a friendly smile vanishing from her red painted lips.

"Yes ma'am, he's been out since this morning, but uh, may I ask who you, and how'd you know about Jack and Rose?" Tommy asked the woman who was now barging into their kitchen and placing her large pocketbook on their beaten table.

"Name's Molly Brown, son. You must be uh... Tommy right? And you're Fabrizio?" She confirmed glancing up from digging deep in her canvas purse. The two nodded in confirmation. "I've been a friend of Jack's for near a year now, and I got a telegram from him yesterday morning." Fabrizio and Tommy crowded around her looking at the yellow paper she had just pulled from her purse. "Dear Molly. Stop. I think I am going mad. Stop. What happened to Rose?. Stop. Jack."

"What did 'appen?" Fabrizio asked his brown eyes twinkling in wonder. Molly let out a sigh and glanced around the room as if suspecting someone else to be hiding in the corner listening.

"Up until a couple of months ago no one knew. Everyone thought she was dead, even her dear sweet mother." Molly said sarcastically. "It wasn't until a couple of months ago when I got this that I knew she was alive." Molly pulled a piece of folded paper out of her purse. "She'd been living in New York for a time, working to save up a bit of money and then she'd come out west, she wanted to be in a place that Jack loved. It wasn't until a couple weeks after that that Hockley found out." She finished sourly.

"Hockley?"

"The bastardo?" Tommy and Fabrizio asked in unison.

"Yeah, Rose's old fiancé. Apparently flame red hair stands out when you're working as an actress." she shook her head, "And now he said his brand new watchdog to fetch her."

"Hold on a minute," Tommy said looking exasperated. "How is it that no one knew Rose was alive before, why wasn't she on the survivors list, why didn't she do something to her hair, why didn't she know Jack was alive, how'd you know Jack lived here, and how exactly did Hockley find her?" Molly quirked an eyebrow.

"Got anymore questions while you're at it?" Tommy blushed slightly.

"Sorry." He mumbled shuffling his feet and looking down at his feet.

"I only got answers for half those questions son, but I expect we're gunna get more when we find Jack, and Rose. Let's just hope we find them before Hockley's man slave does." She looked from one to the other. "Well what are we standing her for, let's go." The two jumped slightly and ambled towards the door, Fabrizio tried to dart out first, but was hit in the squarely in the gut by Molly's heavy purse.

"Ladies first." She corrected them.


	5. A Worried Walk

Fabrizio, Molly and Tommy walked quietly up the street leading to the pier

Fabrizio, Molly and Tommy walked quietly up the street leading to the pier. The sounds of the roller coaster, people having fun and fresh food wafted towards them on the cool evening's air. Fabrizio smiled at people as they passed strolling along most arm in arm. Molly watched as they passed, unconcerned with the occasional glances they received due to the fact that a prominent first class lady was seen with two third class men. Tommy's arms were folded tight across his chest and as he walked he was deep in thought. 

"Oye, Fabrizio" he said after a long while of silence between the three. "You said you saw her?" Tommy asked his brow furrowed "Why didn't ya talk to her?"

"She was very far away, and as soon as I saw her there was a … a" he waved his hand as he tried to produce the right word. 

"Commotion?" Molly offered. 

"Si, there were people running away from uh.." he waved his hands again "firecrackers." He concluded for himself this time. Molly smiled at him and then glanced to Tommy who looked concerned. 

"Did ya see her after them firecrackers went off?" He asked again

"No, I was uh, pushed by the people." Fabrizio said as the began to walk the paths leading to the boardwalk. Tommy's look of concern increased. 

"Something that matter?" Molly asked the frowning Irishman.

"Yeah," he said "Ya think them firecrackers were set up to distract the crowd from someone nabbin' a lady on the pier?" The three were now surrounded by crowds of people, old and young, families and couples, and the prospect of finding people as the sun set seemed daunting. Tommy's look of concerned was now mirrored on his companions faces.


	6. Firecrackers

Jack was tired. He'd been up since early that morning thinking only of her, and had walked the entire length of the boardwalk and around every street in town. He'd asked at every hotel, restaurant, pub and store, but no one had seemed to see a woman with flame red hair, porcelain skin and eyes like sapphires. It was as if she had vanished into thin air. He'd wracked his brain for every possible idea of where she would be. Now as he slowly wandered aimlessly down the long wooden piers he began to muse with the darker half of his mind. 

As a child his great Aunt Tessy had been the most pessimistic person in the entire state of Wisconsin. Her constant anger and belief that everyone in the world was evil had left some sort of impression on him which he'd never admit to. At times when he was the most hopeless he could hear her voice in the back of his mind telling him to give up or to stop trying so hard. He always went against her voice in his mind, but in the last several months as the world seemed to be the desolate, hateful place Aunt Tessy had described, he began to listen to the voice. He never heeded the advice, but listened nonetheless.

It was close to sunset the sky only slightly over the deep blue ocean. He paused just in front of a doorway. He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair which reflected the amber setting sun. Just then something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head slowly, as a ghost from his past stood before his eyes. Halfway down the pier was a woman with flame red hair looking across the water with the saddest look on his face he'd ever seen. Then suddenly for the first time since April of the previous year he felt warm. His entire body came back to life, and for the first time in far too long he felt his heart come to life. His insides squirmed in anxiety, his heart raced and his breathing became troublesome. He felt like running, but his feet were stuck to the ground. After a moment his brain registered that he hadn't moved yet and he took bumbling steps which quickly broke into a run. He knew he was running into people, he knew he looked like a fool, but he couldn't have cared less. His feet thundered on the boardwalk, his eyes fixed on the one thing they'd longed to see for far too long. Yet somehow by chance of fate or even divine intervention his head swiveled as he noticed a man in a suit drop a bundle of firecrackers to the ground quickly causing a commotion and people to bustle together. The crowd swarmed at him in the direction of evading the fireworks. He struggled to move against the surge, and struggled even harder to maintain a view on his Rose. He saw her turning to see what had caused such a ruckus, and his heart nearly flung itself out of his chest when he saw the man in the suit roughly grab her by the arm. Her eyes bugled slightly he said something to her, he saw the man's grip tighten on her arm as she tried to get away. Jack hadn't registered he was away from the crowd, all he could hear was the thundering of the blood in his ears, and all he could feel was rage. He knew exactly who this man was, and exactly why he was after Rose. Jack's boots thundered on the wooden boards as Rose struggled to break away from the man pulling her away with him. She watched as a hand grabbed the man's collar, and the twin of that hand punch the man in the face. 

She stepped back as the man fell to the ground and looked up quickly into the eyes of the man who had hit him. Her heart almost stopped as green eyes looked through strands of heavenly blond hair. Time was frozen for a moment. Jack reached out his hand for her to take, and as the two began to run from the scene hand in hand, Hockley's henchman reached into his jacket for his gun.

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I am SOO sorry for the spaced out updates to this story, but I've been super busy lately. So tonight I've added two new chapters instead of one! This story is turning out to be much longer than I expected, but probably much better. I hope you enjoy it, please read and review! 


	7. Two Halves of One Whole

Through the crowds they ran as if the devil himself were chasing them. Their hands were white knuckled, holding tight to one another they flew as fast as their feet could carry them, away from the pier. It was about two blocks later, after they had zigged and zagged through the small streets Jack picked out in a moments decision, that he pulled her into a small crowded bar. He guided her quickly to the back of the bar, and with only a motion and a nod to the back was understood completely by the bartender. As the tall bald man led them down a minuscule, dirty, twisting hallway. Jack looked back, and not seeing the crowds parted or disrupted felt satisfied.

"Room's yours for the night Jack." Ned the bartender said handing him the keys. Jack nodded his thanks and as he closed and locked the door behind him. He leaned against the door for a moment until the gears in his head finally sprang back to life. His heart began to pound and his blood rushed through his body making him feel light headed and woozy. He placed a hand to his head and as he brushed the blond hair away from his eyes he looked before him upon the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She was sitting on the dirty old cot of a bed catching her breath slowly. She seemed to be shaking, but he couldn't be sure. As he pushed himself off the wall and took a step towards her, her gaze flinted from the spot on the floor she had been staring at to his perfect face. They froze.  
"Is this real?" she said slowly. "Or are you just another ghost come to haunt me Jack?" He saw the many lines of worry and fatigue that had come to adore her gorgeous features since he'd last seen her. A thousand years had passed between them, and still no time at all had changed their love.

"I'm here Rose, I'm here." He said as if trying to reassure them both. He blinked slowly, something seemed to be in his eye. "We're here" he said weakly. She stood and his bones creaked to move. Somewhere in the space that had once separated them they collided. Their hearts pounded together, creating the perfect frantic pace that was their love. Their souls tangled and reentered one another, completing the two halves of the same whole. They kept their arms wrapped tightly around one another, noticing the differences of days, weight, health, and the pains of death. As they both drew back deep blue meeting blue green, their lips came together slowly, passionately. Yet as love was all they could feel and peace was all they wanted, a shot rang out.


	8. Gunshots

The duo broke apart quickly, freezing at the sound. Jack reached for Rose's hand and pulled her to the door. Another shot rang out in the front of the bar, screams and crashes of glass filled the air. As the duo threw open the door and fled towards the back exit, Rose looked back and directly down the barrel of the henchman's gun. Jack tugged Rose to the back door, splinters flew in the air, and Rose felt herself falling into a deep pit of déjà vu. They made their way through the cluttered back room, tripping and jumping over scattered boxes. Jack ripped open the door and as they fled down the small grimy alleyway Hockley's new valet took deadly shot. As the noise of the street was almost upon them a fourth shot was fired. Rose watched it out of the corner of her eye, almost the exact instance the sound trumpeted Jack's hand slipped from her as he crumpled to the ground. People stopped as they passed, several woman screaming, and a policeman in crisp uniform ran towards her. Rose felt dizzy, Jack was on the ground not moving. The world stopped making sense. Action around her confused her, people swarmed around her, a police officer was yelling, but it was the lack of sound that astounded her most. She looked to where the shot had come, but down the alleyway was no one, the man in the thick black tweed suit was gone. Her thoughts did not seem to add up, there was something off, something very wrong. The talk around her was deafening, and as sights and sounds around her began to swim together she fainted away from everything.

It was dark when Rose opened her eyes again. She was lying on an uncomfortable lumpy mattress. She began to sit up, but was aware of a hand upon her shoulder pushing her down. She ceded into the silent command and sank back into the uncomfortable mattress. As reality slowly sank in to her mind full of fog she heard a familiar comforting voice talk to her.  
"…scared the hell out of me actually, I mean I'm the one who was trying to fake him out, but then you went down and you scared me. I thought I lost you again Rose." She turned her clear blue eyes toward the angelic blond haired man leaning over her. He smiled down at her and began to talk again, only half of it sinking through the depths to Rose's comprehension. "I don't know what I'd do without you Rose, I thought I was going crazy before. When I was on the pier and saw…" Jack's sweet words were interrupted by a swift steady motion of Rose sitting up and kissing him softly on the lips. After a moment of sheer bless for them a voice cut in.

"Looks like someone's alive and well." Molly chuckled from the door as Fabrizio and Tommy leaned over her shoulder.

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AH! I'm sorry! or am I? Don't worry more chapter_**s**_(!!) tomorrow! Read and review!!


	9. A Mutual Understanding

Rose sat up slowly, tucking a curly lock behind her ear

Rose sat up slowly, tucking a curly lock behind her ear. She smiled shyly as Tommy and Fabrizio set to work acting as if they'd seen nothing. Molly however strode forward happily surveying the reclined lady. She nodded her head to the door, and Jack stood slowly.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need anything," he said kissing her soft hand. "Anything at all Rose." He backed up between the cots toward the door "I mean you say the word and I'll come running.. just you say.." Molly finally pushed him through the door, waving as he stumbled into the kitchen and shutting it soundly. Rose laughed softly as Molly walked back to the bed shaking her head.

"Fella's crazy for you" Molly said taking Rose's chin her hand. She turned her head slowly inspecting the younger woman's face for cuts or bruises.

"Molly, I'm fine, I wasn't shot." Rose insisted trying to break Molly's soft grip on her chin. Molly chuckled slightly.

"Call me overprotective then." The older woman said as she sat on the edge of Jack's cot. "Why'd you faint?" She asked sitting next to Rose on Jack's cot. The red head began to play with the edge of one of Jack's old blanket as Molly watched her intently. Rose sighed slowly.

"I thought I'd lost him." She smiled weakly, a thousand emotions passing in an instant in her blue ocean eyes. "I can't stand to know that he's hurt while I'm fine. I mean, I know he would have given his … his" Tears flooded her eyes for a moment as she became overwhelmed. Molly hushed her softly, but Rose pressed on. "I know it's weak of me, but I was just so… frightened and it was just… so much." She sniffled as Molly nodded, understandingly. Rose leaned forward onto the older woman's shoulder who stroked her hair gently. In an instant they had become a mother and daughter the way Rose and her own mother never had.

It had begun the day they had docked in New York. Through the crowds, the press, and the mayhem Rose had weakly walked off the boat on her own, a blanket wrapped tightly around her as a shawl. She looked back only once, and had caught the eye of the greatest woman to ever walk the earth, at least from Rose's point of view. There was an instant of understating of pain and helplessness. Rose somehow knew that even if everyone else she had known, or loved was worlds away she could rely on the toughest woman to ever sail on the seven seas. It must have been longer than they knew that they stayed quiet together or maybe just Jack's over protectiveness of his Rose. He knocked softly and then came in hands shoved in his pockets.

As they crowded around the small table everything seemed like it would end perfectly for everyone. However when a knocking was heard at the door the air became tense and no one moved. Finally Jack, Fabrizio and Tommy all stood at once, arming themselves as they went. Molly and Rose exchanged a somewhat bemused, and yet worried glance as the three men positioned themselves to answer the door. The incident from earlier had obviously shaken all three men. Tommy had an old rust spatula behind his back standing to answer the door. Fabrizio had his chair and was standing to the left of the door, preparing to attack the visitor with a chair and Jack stood in front of the table, a spoon tucked safely in his pocket, out of sight and a surprise for the uninvited guest. As Tommy opened the door brandishing the spatula, a small and terrified man quivered at their doorstep.

"M…M…Message… fo…for…J..J…Jack Dawson." His voice ended in a squeak. He held the envelope out in a shaking hand.

"Right" Jack said stepping forward and taking the message before Tommy flipped the message boy. He stood on the doorstep for another minute waiting for a tip, but when the burly Irishman glanced at him once more he scampered off down the street without a second thought.

A moment in silence passed as Jack read his note several times. Everyone waited to hear the urgent message. As the blond man sighed and refolded it he turned to his feisty Rose.

"I'll be back." He said walking towards the door. An uproar of voices met him as he reached his hand to the doorknob. He stopped and turned back once more, once again looking Rose directly in the eye. She could see the fear there, and also the anger. Molly walked over to him quickly and seemed to shake his hand. As he left into the clear night he placed Molly's small revolver into his pocket, and went off to meet the bastard who had once claimed Rose as his future wife.

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Okay so this wasn't posted last week, and it wasn't more than one chapter. I apologize many times over! I'll try my hardest to post a bunch more on all my stories this week! Read and review! Thanks again for reading


	10. Confrontation

Jack walked down the sand strewn pavement streets. Wind blew harshly around corners catching him between blocks, his hair blew in his face and his body started to ache in response to the cold. He still felt like he had never completely unfrozen, but he wouldn't let the stiffness in his body stop him. The smell of rain hung in the sky as he folded his arms tightly around him. Molly's small revolver was stowed secretly in his pants pocket keeping him focused on his mission. As thunder rumbled overhead he slowed. In a sandy empty lot behind a dilapidated building he stopped. He stood in the middle of the clearing, turning, watching and most of all waiting. Tension gripped him; his chest grew tight in apprehension, and fear caused the hairs on his neck and arms to stand. The waiting was unbearable and he paced slowly. He began to wonder if this is what Doc Holiday had felt like walking to the O.K. corral, just then he saw lights approaching. A black car slowly rolled to a stop, and he ceased his repetitive strides. Jack's shoulders tensed and he tried to breathe evenly. The back door swung open and a single somewhat short figure descended from the car. Something seemed wrong, his brow furrowed, but his grip on the handle of his gun did not lessen. Single figure came forward slowly in a stately gate. As realization dawned upon Jack he could not have been more surprised.

"Hello Mr. Dawson." Ruth Dewitt Bukater's formal voice called.

"Hello yourself" Jack replied, he gazed around checking for someone else with her, or a trick Hockley may be pulling. As Ruth stopped a good three feet in front of Jack he could she a small twisted smile on her thin lips. The piercing gaze he had always had seen when she looked at him was cemented on her face, making him feel the judgment she was placing upon him.

"It has been quite some time Mr. Dawson." She stopped and tilted her head, regarding him cruelly. "If possible you look even poorer and more threadbare than when I last saw you." Jack almost smiled.

"Why thank you ma'am." He said sarcastically. A comment of how much more of a bitch she had become almost crossed his lips, but he decided to bite his tongue.

"Let us be to the point." She said crisply. "You know where my daughter is, and Mr. Hockley and I are very interested in finding out how and where she is. If you do not take me to her now I, and dear Mr. Hockley will have you killed. Is this in any way unclear to you?" Jack stood silently for a moment. Ruth quirked an eyebrow as he did not respond. "She is not yours to keep from me Jack. She is my daughter and it is my responsibility to keep safe. Now take me to her."

"And where were you when the ship sank? Or when she was alone and actually needed you?" Jack shot back. "Rose has never wanted to be with Hockley and if you had actually given a damn about that she may have trusted you and come home on her own. Instead she decided to wander the streets and try to make it on her own instead. She doesn't need you, and the only reason you need her is so that you don't become poor. Did you ever consider that your daughter never wanted to come home to you because she hates you?" A bitter expression remained on both faces as he finished. There was a brief silence between them, but slowly a deep dark sickly smile curved the corners of her malicious mouth.

"Mr. Dawson, you are not exactly a hero yourself. Is it not true that you were too afraid to tell the White Star Line your name so that Mr. Hockley could not find you? Or was it that you were too sick? Either way," she said giving him no chance to reply to her comments. "How could you have done any more for her? And how can you do anymore for her now? Do you honestly think that you can save her from anything, from us, from those who can actually care and take care of her?" She took two slow steps forward and looked him deep in the eye. "You cannot do anything for her, but if you take me to her I can make sure she lives in the lifestyle she deserves. She will have everything she wants, and in time she will learn to love Hockley I am sure." Jack stared off beyond her at the black car in the dim light. The sunlight was almost completely gone from the sky and the moon was high. It cast an eerie pale light on the car that made then entire situation seem surreal, and dangerous. He turned his gaze to star into the unfeeling green eyes before him.

"Alright" he conceded "I'll take you."

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No I am not dead! I'm am so sorry I haven't been around, but I've been rather busy. More chapters on the way... soon...? I hope you enjoy none the less!! Comments please or not... just enjoy.


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